Mrs. Winburn received her B.A. in Chemistry and Biology from Jamestown College, in 1993. From there she went to the University of North Dakota where she worked toward a M.S. degree in Physical Chemistry 1993-1995. She worked as an industrial chemist during the building and start-up phases for a high fructose corn processing plant in Wahpeton, North Dakota 1995-1997. Mrs. Winburn joined the teaching staff at Minot State University in 2004. She completed a MAT in Science at Minot State University in 2013. Mrs. Winburn has worked on projects with both undergraduates and science teachers working toward their Master of Arts in Science Teaching. She is involved in the Science Club, Science Olympiad, Minot STEM and taking chemistry demonstrations to local elementary classrooms in Minot.

ResearchSince 2007, Mrs. Winburn has been responsible for the supervision of undergraduate students and participation of research in the analysis of salamander tissue and water samples for cadmium levels. Cadmium concentrations in salamanders was an interdisciplinary project with Dr. Beachy. Cadmium concentrations in soil and water samples was also investigated with collaboration with Dr. Krieg of the Geology Dept. In 2014 Dr. Cole-Harding and Mrs. Winburn received an INBRE grant to study caffeine effects on human subjects. The project is a dual project with Dr. Cole-Harding’s research group working on the psychological effects and human sampling techniques and my research group working on the chemistry of caffeine extraction from saliva and the subsequent analysis of the extracted caffeine through gas-chromatography/mass spectroscopy. She currently has three students that are working on the project.